The Death of a Falcom is a murder mystery set in Scotland, 1375 and features Muirteach MacPhee and his wife Mariota. While visiting Edinburgh Castle,The Death of a Falcom is a murder mystery set in Scotland, 1375 and features Muirteach MacPhee and his wife Mariota. While visiting Edinburgh Castle, Muirteach is assisting the Lord of the Isles in negotiations with King Robert II. while there a shipping vessel arrives from the far northern country, Greenland. The master of the ship, his daughter and stepson arrive with gyrfalcons, largest of the falcon species. The King is interested in two of the birds, but someone kills one of the birds and badly wounds the other. Right after that, the daughter of the shipmaster is killed. With the investigative abilities of Muirteach and his wife, they try to find out what happened to the birds and the young girl. What they find is surprising and dangerous to both of them. This is book 4 of the Muirteach MacPhee Murder Mystery series. No need to read the previous books, I didn't but I want to learn more about Muirteach and Mariotta.

I really enjoyed this book, as I am an avid fan of historical fiction, especially medieval era. Like I said, no need to read the previous stories but if you want to learn more like I do, then you should. The research in the story really shows as far as Greenland, Norse sagas, and the Inuit. I really enjoyed it! Love historical fiction? Go check it out!...more

Will Taylor, a ruthless ex-Navy Seal works for Global American Metals is sent to Jamaica by his boss to deal with the locals. The Maroons, an indigenoWill Taylor, a ruthless ex-Navy Seal works for Global American Metals is sent to Jamaica by his boss to deal with the locals. The Maroons, an indigenous tribe of people who live in the mountains where the mines are located. They are not happy with the company and do what they can to keep the mines from stripping the land. What Will finds upon arrival in Jamaica is a land steeped in superstitions. The White Witch was a name the locals had given to a white woman who not only made life unbearable but also involved murder.

The Maroons were escaped slaves who ran away from their Spanish-owned plantations when the British took the Caribbean island of Jamaica from Spain in 1655. The slaves had a treaty with Spain that provided them the land up in the mountains and rainforests in perpetuity. They get upset when Global American Metals wants to further have their mines there. The locals feel that that is not what they want because of the mines. The Maroons fought to get their land and they are prepared to keep fighting for their land.

Will is an employee of Global and is really there to protect the company from the locals quest to keep their land and drive the mine out of Jamaica. Will meets Vertise, daughter of the leader and after a couple murders that are tied to Global, the case of Global against the Maroons is sent to court.

This novel is definitely character driven and has a real historical and eery feel with the murders, voodoo rituals and local superstitions. I was prepared to not like this book as I had never read anything about Jamaican history. After the prologe I was actually hooked. It did take me awhile to read it but that was all me and not the book!

If you love a good suspenseful historical story of Jamaica, then I recommend that you go get yourself a copy, you can also enter the giveaway!...more

Wifi Kicked the Bucket is a cute well-illustrated book for children and even adults. The premise of the story is that we are all consumed as a societyWifi Kicked the Bucket is a cute well-illustrated book for children and even adults. The premise of the story is that we are all consumed as a society with electronic devices and Wifi. I sometimes have to think back to when there was no wifi, what did we do, I know as a kid or teenager we certainly did not have the use of a phone, to my parents, a phone which was a rotary was on the wall for emergencies of so my parents can connect with each other as needed.

Mamma Bunny is starting out the summer enjoying the warmth and sunshine, the kids and hubby are finding that the wifi is not working and they are all upset, think the world is coming to an end. With her quiet manner, she manages to have them all occupying themselves with other past times. She is actually quite successful and they all have a great day.

This book has a very important message about how we have become attached to our devices and don't often look up and see what is around us. It is illustrated colorfully and easy to understand. I really thought it is the perfect book for children....more

The Church of the Holy Child is a story about revenge, plain and simple. A woman is murdered, hit upside the head with a brick. She had a history of bThe Church of the Holy Child is a story about revenge, plain and simple. A woman is murdered, hit upside the head with a brick. She had a history of being domestically abused by her husband. She and her child left home and went to a shelter. She had a way to escape her marriage and was going to come back for her child. She was never seen alive again.

Another woman meets the same fate, and another, this one a prostitute. How do all these women fit the profile of domestic abuse? The case goes to John Stark, a veteran, and friend of Griff Cole. Griff and his partner Britt Callahan investigate the case because a missing woman's sister hires them to find her sister.

We also have Father Francis, a priest at The Church of the Holy Child takes the confession of the actual killer. Because Father Francis is obligated to keep what is told to him to himself as the church demands. He becomes increasingly worried and scared that there will be more women killed and has to find it within himself to do the right thing even though it goes against the Church.

What did I think of the book? I really enjoyed it. The writing was good, the characterization perfect for the storyline. I liked Britt and Griff's daughter Allie the most. Britt is a tough woman and Allie is a smart and sassy young lady. The book was fast-paced and it took me awhile to figure out who the killer was. There were a few grammatical errors but I did have an ARC so I know that these will be corrected. If you like a good mystery story, this one is for you.

Little Boy Blue Little Boy Blue is the fifth novel in the Helen Grace series and each one gets more intense than previous ones. Helen Grace is taskedLittle Boy Blue Little Boy Blue is the fifth novel in the Helen Grace series and each one gets more intense than previous ones. Helen Grace is tasked with investigating a murder that hits pretty close to home. This time she knows the victim and he knew her, rather intimately. The problem she has is she can't let anyone on her team know that she knew the victim. It could create a lot of problems for her professionally and personally. The killer is not done yet either, Helen has to race to find the killer before she is the next victim. I have enjoyed reading this series, the writing is perfect in every way, definitely a page turner, I love thrillers like this that keep me not only interested but wanting more. I look forward to reading the next one, because of how this one ended. I have read a lot of different series but this one wants me reading each one to find out what happens to Helen and her crew next. I do recommend that you start the the first book in the series to enjoy the the whole story of Helen Grace!...more

The Point of a Gun This book is about the increase in terrorist attacks—by jihadists, white

supremacists, and Mexican cartels, which ironically seemsThe Point of a Gun This book is about the increase in terrorist attacks—by jihadists, white

supremacists, and Mexican cartels, which ironically seems to be based on the events in the past 20 years or so. Right from today's news. Are we ever going to win this fight, will we be able to eradicate the terrorist threats?

A group of vigilantes is taking out these terrorists before they can complete their goals. These people are a select group of people with different skills and knowledge. The President of the US is determined to find out who these vigilante people are, mainly because he objects to what they are doing, but rather because they are rogue government employees and it is illegal for vigilantes to do what they are doing. The President knows that what they are doing is for the good of the US but it is still wrong.

I found this book to be very fast paced and character driven, a real page turner. Even though these people are vigilantes and taking things into their own hands to eliminate the terrorist threat, I had to cheer for them. The author is knowledgeable in his facts about terrorism and terrorists to different countries and ideals. I always enjoy reading a book by an author that can stick to what he knows. In The Point of a Gun, the story is an exciting thriller that will leave you thinking, is there a group out there that is really anhilating the bad guys? I would not be upset if there was.

If you love a good political/mystery/thriller, then you will enjoy this book!

Bring Her Home Bill Price's life has been in turmoil ever since his wife died. His 15-year-old daughter Summer is also suffering the loss of her motheBring Her Home Bill Price's life has been in turmoil ever since his wife died. His 15-year-old daughter Summer is also suffering the loss of her mother. One day Summer and her best friend Haley disappear. Not too long after they disappear, the girls are found, one of them Haley is dead and Summer is badly beaten. As would any parent be, Bill is livid, how can someone do such a horrific thing. He sits vigil by his daughter's bedside, along with his sister.

There are so many questions, how did the girls happen to be taken, who did it and why? As days go by though, things don't seem to be as simple as they look. Many questions are asked by the police that Bill has no answers for.As time goes by, things get even more difficult. Through memories of Bill's, we learn more about his wife and her death and some problems he has had with Summer.

Things are not as they seem and Bill is determined to find out what happened to the girls. Some of the answers he is not prepared for and not what he had thought.This book is a great psychological thriller and will keep the reader turning the pages. There were times I was a bit frustrated with Bill, but as a parent, I could not understand what he was going through, having never been in that situation, but I did have empathy and as the book progressed, a lot of things were a bit easier to understand.

I have always been fascinated with Lizzie Borden. I share a birthday with her so there is that.. The Murderer's Maid is the story of Lizzie Borden butI have always been fascinated with Lizzie Borden. I share a birthday with her so there is that.. The Murderer's Maid is the story of Lizzie Borden but indirectly as it is written from the perspective of Bridget, the Borden's maid of a few years. I am not sure how I feel about the crime, did she or didn't she, kind of leaning to the fact that she probably did. The Borden household appeared to have been a tense cold place to live in, run by a man who had money but they lived miserly. That would be enough to affect a person mentally in my mind

The parallel story kind of surprised me as I had never really thought about the possibility that there could be descendants of Lizzie. Brooke is a woman who is the daughter of an immigrant maid who has to move around to keep her identity and whereabouts. When she was a girl, her mother had an affair with her boss, the man's wife ends up dead in suspicious circumstances and her mother is to blame, not guilty but to blame, according to the family. Brooke moves around her entire adult life because she thinks that the sons of the woman who died is after her.

Brooke has always been interested in true crime and she starts reading about Lizzie Borden and with her reading, she comes to the realization that she may very well be related to Lizzie. Brooke is a bit messed up, what with her having to be on the run all the time. I found this part of the story quite fascinating. How was Brooke related?

The Murder's Maid was a pleasure to read and gave me more of an insight into the crime. Erika Mailman did extensive work in writing this novel and it showed. I love it when an author puts in Author's Notes in the book, gives the reader a peek into the ways the book has been written. That is why I love historical fiction, it is fiction based on facts and that is fascinating to me. Erika is the author of other historical fiction, of which I need to find and read. I enjoyed her writing in The Murder's Maid and highly recommend this book!!...more

This book starts off with the Sheriff Hank Gephart being found shot outside of a nursing home.

In comes Ruby Mortimer-Smyth, a prim and proper EnglishThis book starts off with the Sheriff Hank Gephart being found shot outside of a nursing home.

In comes Ruby Mortimer-Smyth, a prim and proper English woman transplanted into a small town in Kansas. Hoping to have gone to Paris, France, because that is where she and her husband were supposed to go and live for his job.

Ruby and her stepsister Claire, have always been competitive and no more so in the fact that Ruby was going to get go to Paris and her cousin was not. With the story being set up with the Sheriff being shot on the eve of Y2K, the reader is taken back a bit to the start of the story which sets up the characters in a fun and a funny way had me wanting to read more.

Ruby ingrains herself into life in Kansas the best she can even though most of the time she feels like a fish out of water, but along the way she meets and befriends a few different "characters" . The more she is brought into the lives of these different people, the less English and prissy she becomes. Plus she is also to rethink her life and what she wants out of it and she finds it is not what she has. She is not happy in her marriage and I think that is why she becomes enamored of the good sheriff. So did she really shoot the sheriff?

Told in a humorous and laugh out loud way, this book is so much fun, I loved how Ruby. for me being kind of an uninteresting person to a fun loving very nice but unhappy woman who goes from being selfish to doing an about face and becoming a caring loving woman. I came to like her a lot and the story was fun to read!

My Brother is Special is a book about a child who has a big brother who has special needs, with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy can happen before or duMy Brother is Special is a book about a child who has a big brother who has special needs, with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy can happen before or during birth, damaging the child's brain. There can be a variety of damage that can cause vision, hearing and speech problems along with learning disabilities.

This book can help explain to a young child as to why a sibling may be different and can't do the same things that a sibling can do. The story is told in a rhyme and is very concise in explanation, the illustrating is done professionally and is a book that would be great for a gift for a family that is dealing with a child with disabilities. There is also a list in the back of the book with helpful websites that are helpful, in US and Canada. I really liked it and find it to be perfect. I enjoy books written for children that are educational and have a message....more

"...Sometimes justice is served in ways that have precious little to do with the criminal justice system..."

There is no way of knowing how life will c"...Sometimes justice is served in ways that have precious little to do with the criminal justice system..."

There is no way of knowing how life will change. No way of knowing when the phone will ring or a stranger will show up on your doorstep. One minute, life is perfectly normal and the next it is irrevocably changed.

When a painful twinge in her wrist becomes too much to endure, Caroline Cashion heads to the doctor. The MRI results show she has spent the majority of her 34 years on this earth carrying around a bullet in her neck. A bullet.

And so unravels the story of where the bullet came from. How did such a thing come to be? Had she really been shot and live to tell about it? But what is there to tell?

Mary Louise Kelly tells a gripping story full of adventure, twists, and emotion in her latest novel, The Bullet. It is a tale of love and loss, tragedy, and adventure. Of old experiences and fresh starts. But at the heart of the story is a terrified little girl that has grown into an intelligent woman that cannot let the past go. Once the bullet is discovered, Caroline will go to any length to find the truth. But sometimes with truth, there can be no closure.

After traveling across the country, then across the world, Caroline must face the facts and determine the fate that lies in front of her.

In life, there are no guarantees. And Kelly plots that out in a way that is fresh and riveting. How would the story end? "The scales are not yet balanced. Laid before me then, a choice...It is mine to decide when this story will end. For now, I rise" because after all, what else can we do?

Stolen Marriage It's 1944 and Tess DeMello is all alone and pregnant in a town she knows nothing about and in a life she doesn't want to be living. ShStolen Marriage It's 1944 and Tess DeMello is all alone and pregnant in a town she knows nothing about and in a life she doesn't want to be living. She's left behind the comfort and safety of her beloved Baltimore for the small town judgment of Hickory, North Carolina in order to build the best life she can imagine for the illegitimate child she is carrying. Without the man she's loved almost all her life and the career she's always dreamed of, everything she thought she would have has now slipped through her grasp.In this new release from best-seller Diane Chamberlain, The Stolen Marriage, the heartbreak and pain of World World II is beautifully captured. The character development is deeply detailed and the prose is so engaging, it will take the reader back in time.This novel is a definite page turner. Chamberlain fans will surely not be disappointed with her truly engaging way of bringing emotion and intensity to the story. It is easy to fall in love and sympathize with Tess, but over time, the reader will feel the pain of the villian and build a connection with him as well. There is a dynamic story line, in true Chamberlain fashion, but this novel touches on the most basic human emotions on a way that is fresh and new to her repertoire.

Prince Preemie tells the delightful story of a tiny puppy that is born prematurely. I think that this book would be perfect for a family that needs toPrince Preemie tells the delightful story of a tiny puppy that is born prematurely. I think that this book would be perfect for a family that needs to explain to smaller children, why their sibling can't come home from the hospital like other babies do. Preemie babies of any variety need that little extra care before going home. They may need tubes to breathe or tubes to keep them nourished until they are strong enough to go home.

Beautifully illustrated, this book incorporates a fictitious King and Queen in a fictitious realm. A short book that every child will love to have read to them, maybe repeatedly! I really liked this book for it's message and creativity. A perfect gift!

I have always been interested in watching on tv or reading about anything to do with the medical field. This book falls into that interest. Medics andI have always been interested in watching on tv or reading about anything to do with the medical field. This book falls into that interest. Medics and nurses are an extremely part of out health care system. EMT's are usually the first people to arrive on a traumatic or nonlife threatening situation, whether in the home, workplace or an accident. There are so many things that these wonderful people see out there that we all need to be very thankful for what they do.

Sherry Lynn Jones is a nurse, EMT and has done this work for many years. This memoir covers many different aspects of this work, there are stories from Emergency Service Workers, stories about death, day to day life with correction officers in prisons and out in the ambulances.

Reading this book gave me more of an understanding of what an EMT really does and how they handle any given situation. I spent my 25-year working career in a local nursing home so I got first-hand knowledge of what nurses do for their patients. A lot of them are so loving that it was heartwarming to work with these people on a daily basis.

These stories are written like a novel but with personal insight by Ms.Jones, some very emotional and some humorous but all very enjoyable.

Burn Country by Michael J. McCann is the fourth novel I have read by this author. A fire has broken out and Ontario Provincial Detective Ellie March iBurn Country by Michael J. McCann is the fourth novel I have read by this author. A fire has broken out and Ontario Provincial Detective Ellie March is brought in after a body has been discovered in the fire. After identification, it is determined that the body is that of Independent Senator Darius Lane. Darius was a famous artist with an interesting past.

Detective Constable Kevin Walker is investigating the case also, this was not the only fire and it appears that there is a serial arsonist on the loose in Leeds County burning barns. Not only that, because the latest victim was a political figure, the RCMP Assistant Commissioner Danny Merrick is also on the case. Ellie is not a happy camper with this as it is like the FBI in the States taking over a case from local police. They find that in order to solve the case they need to work together.

With Mr.McCann's ability to tell a story that keeps the reader wanting more, we learn more about the lives of the victim but also Ellie and Kevin. Ellie knows her stuff when it comes to interrogation but is not fond of interdepartmental dealings. Ellie has a lot of baggage and just wants to find out who murdered Darius, not deal with political machinations.

Kevin Walker, has some personal baggage also, a precarious relationship with the woman he lives with. So dealing with that, trying to figure out the who and why gets to be a bit dangerous for him.

This book is the sequel to Sorrow Lake which introduced us to the team of Ellie March and Kevin Walker, it can be read as a stand alone novel. If you love a good mystery, you can't go wrong with anything that Michael McCann writes.

The Irish Milliner is a historical story about a young widow, before and during the Civil War ,who makes hats. She starts out making hats of various dThe Irish Milliner is a historical story about a young widow, before and during the Civil War ,who makes hats. She starts out making hats of various designs to see to make a little bit of cash so she can support her daughter and hopes to get her hats into the department stores in New York.

The Irish Milliner is a vivid depiction of the war, slavery, the Underground Railroad. Norah is also a reporter, which is rare for a woman in this era. Norah escaped the famine in Ireland and is determined to make a life for herself in the late 1800's in the Five Points neighborhood in New York.

Life for a woman in this era had to have been difficult, a woman's role was to stay home and take care of the house and children. Norah is not so lucky being a widow but she is very creative and makes her way in a tough time. She has a variety of friends, a young man who comes from wealth and influence who is courting her, there is also another young man, a friend from Ireland, who is also after her affections. She is also a friend with a black woman, who introduces Norah to the world of the underground railroad.

I enjoyed the story, the historical aspect appeared to be well researched and told in vivid detail. I had not read the previous stories and it probably would have helped set up the characters in this book. Aside from that, I recommend this story if you like Civil War history.